Okay, it's the West Coast. At *some* point each winter we get 'rains'. But just yesterday, ds and I were marvelling at how GREEN everything in the yard looked as it all glistened in the winter sun, with the snow having finally melted. It was beautiful. Tree branches sparkling with dew. Varied thrushes, black-capped chickadees, stellar jays, hummingbirds at the feeder. It was spring-like... It was trickery, I tell you.
Well, today it's been monsooning. Not just raining, but continuous torrential downpour. Now I'm not complaining, it's just that I'd apparently blocked out the memory of these rains. They are glorious to behold... just so long as you don't have to go out in them! I'd already set my mind on running errands today, so I stubbornly packed us all into the car and off we went, but we got drenched running from the car into stores and back. It was nuts. And fun. Fun to feel alive, to feel the rain splashing on your face, fun to watch the kids splashing in puddles in the parking lots, fun to share in their wonderment at the streams of water forming across the pavement, heading towards the drains, to stand over the drain (in the torrential downpour) and just watch it all streaming in, oblivious to the time - to try and block the water with your rubber boot and divert it around. So much fun! Reminded me of being a kid and delivering newspapers on my bike in the rain - at first it would be an "eww, ick" kind of thing when you were first getting wet, but by the time you were drenched from head to toe, it didn't really matter what speed you went at... so I'd stop and gaze at the stream here and just toodle along at my own pace, in my own world. Ahhh, life, eh. Sighhhhhh.
But now that we're home and I'm feeling SOOOOO grateful to have a house with walls, windows and a functioning roof over my head, my attention is drawn to the overflowing gutters that obviously need unplugging desperately (even though it's now dark). It wouldn't be bothering me, except that they (a) our extension ladder is broken so I don't have a safe way of getting up there, and (b) they appear to be overflowing into my herb garden and eroding the soil a little. But stop. I don't need to go there, do I. Breathing in, I'm filled with gratitude for the fresh rain. Breathing out, I'm letting any worries surrounding it go. Ahhhh that's better. LOL
Today I rowed. It's been 15 days since I last did, and wow, it felt sooooo good to exercise again. I really missed it over the holidays. It was funny because dh and I were having a conversation about how scatter-brained I can be... and I had to defend myself because while he's not here I manage just fine - I row daily, I feel a stronger commitment to raw food, I get the children (& myself) to classes and such on time and manage to run the household quite efficiently (to my way of thinking, anyways; LOL). But then as he was home over the holidays, I had a HECK of a time staying committed to all those things, and I couldn't remember what we had to do each day to save my life. It was quite comical. "Who phoned?" "Geez, I can't remember." "Didn't you just hang up the phone?!" "Well yes, I guess I did. Oh, it was so-and-so. Can't remember why they were calling, though." Okay, not quite THAT bad, but still, my memory was less than sharp the past couple weeks. So now that he's out of town again (dh that is) I have the opportunity to get back into my routine - caring for myself through daily exercise, nutrition and mindfulness. And also spending time examining why it is that I have this pattern of 'falling off the wagon' when he's home. What's THAT all about?! hmmmm, something to think about.
Hmmm... ds just brought me a Lego guy that he built... a "homeless Lego person". Now why, you may ask, would an 8 yr old build a homeless Lego person to add to his Lego city? (And what would a homeless Lego person look like?!) Well, on the radio today while we were driving, there was a news story of a homeless woman who was offered a bed in a shelter one cold night. She declined and stayed on the streets, sleeping with her belongings in a shopping cart and a tarp over her. She lit a candle to stay warm and the tarp (and everything) caught on fire and she died. I turned the radio off and talked about it with ds... what is the solution here - what could've been done - should society force people to go to shelters? (He said no) Are the homeless allowed to bring their worldly possessions and shopping carts inside the shelters right now? (I don't even know) Obviously he's been processing this for the past several hours, unbeknownst to me as he shows no outwardly signs of what he's thinking about, and there you have it... a Lego homeless person. Looks like I'll have to call up a shelter and see if we can drop something off one day and have a visit there - maybe we could make some homemade bread, or cookies, or something to take down there... interesting to see an 8 yr old wrestle with these issues... issues that we as a society haven't resolved at all.
I guess that's all for now.
Namaste
~n~
06 January 2009
04 January 2009
Raw Food Pics!
Raw Pizzas (dehydrated crusts, 'barbecue' sauce, peppers, olives, fresh basil):
Salad greens with Ani Phyo's Breakfast Scramble Pate on top:
Tomato stuffed with Sundried Tomato Sunflower Herb Pate (from Jennifer Cornbleet's book):
California Rolls (from Jennifer Cornbleet's book) - avocado, carrot, red pepper, cucumber with Nama Shoyu for dipping (and some pickled ginger):
Raw vegan lasagne (from Jennifer Cornbleet's book) - one alteration: I used a full cup of marinara sauce in it, not 1/2 cup (you can see it oozing out). But it was really really tasty. Zucchini 'noodles', blended spinach, mashed avocado and marinara sauce.
03 January 2009
Allergies!!
Had a relaxing day alone at home yesterday - dh took the children out on errands for most of the day. It was very odd - wandering around the house aimlessly before getting any sense of motivation or direction as to what to do with the free time. Something many Mamas experience, I think.
When they got home, they brought in a 12 pack of Fanta sodapop among the other things. dd (nearly 5 yrs old) asked if she could have some, so her and her brother split a (355 ml) can... so she had about 150 or maybe 200 ml. (She has had the odd glass of pop; it's certainly not a regular thing in our house - I don't keep pop or store-bought juice in the house hardly ever) Within five minutes her face started getting red splotches on it... a sure sign of an allergic reaction (in her). We've already cut raw tomatoes (including cherry tomatoes, which she absolutely loves to eat, unfortunately) and mandarin oranges out of her diet... so we're pretty sure it's a citric acid allergy (she can tolerate cooked tomatoes - like pizza sauce & ketchup). Anyways, back to yesterday... she has this splotchy, itchy rash on her face & neck within minutes of ingesting this "food", and I use that term VERY loosely. She wasn't having a major (anaphylactic) reaction, but certainly this is the strongest reaction she's had to date, but then again, she's only 4. :( This morning she woke up and her face is ever so slightly swollen... face & neck still red... but she wasn't having difficulty breathing and she said it was only itchy on the outside of her neck, not the inside, and no swelling or anything unusual going on inside her mouth. But still... pretty damn scary. Ended up driving into town and speaking to a pharmacist who recommended Benadryl or something similar, so that's what she's having (although I'd prefer to avoid the food colouring & sugar that's in it). All over 1/2 a pop. The kids' cousin has pretty severe food allergies - nuts, for one - and his parents carry an Epi-pen for him (thankfully have never had to use it).
Makes you think long and hard about what it is we call "food" and why we pollute our bodies with beverages like Fanta. Which one of the food groups does THAT fit into? Mind you, here's dd who's also allergic to oranges and tomatoes - organic, raw ones at that. What has happened to our food supply? And before you go commenting about how that Fanta even got into the house.... judge not, my friends. While I am committed to eating raw, organic, vegan foods in as natural a state as possible (and from local sources as much as possible), not everyone in the house shares my opinions on the subject. dh eats meat, dairy, all manner of cooked food, alcohol, what you'd call "junk food" (in moderation) - chips, dips, pop, all that kinda stuff. So here are two parents who are eating widely differing diets, trying to raise children together (and no, we didn't start out eating so differently; it's me that's changed tremendously in that regard over the past decade). Obviously it leads to a lot of discussion and compromise, on both our parts.
I remember before getting married the person marrying us asking us if we had discussed all eventualities... what an odd question - how could you possibly know where life was going to take you? We certainly didn't talk about the possibility that I'd become vegan, or raw, or talk about different parenting strategies or values... I mean you're getting married, the details of a wedding are all-consuming in that moment. Just funny.
Anyways that's about it. I'm going to go back to reading Raw Success by Matt Monarch - great read so far - lots of things to ponder/food for thought as I'm reading it. Will write more on that once I'm farther along or finished the book.
Happy Saturday,
~n~
When they got home, they brought in a 12 pack of Fanta sodapop among the other things. dd (nearly 5 yrs old) asked if she could have some, so her and her brother split a (355 ml) can... so she had about 150 or maybe 200 ml. (She has had the odd glass of pop; it's certainly not a regular thing in our house - I don't keep pop or store-bought juice in the house hardly ever) Within five minutes her face started getting red splotches on it... a sure sign of an allergic reaction (in her). We've already cut raw tomatoes (including cherry tomatoes, which she absolutely loves to eat, unfortunately) and mandarin oranges out of her diet... so we're pretty sure it's a citric acid allergy (she can tolerate cooked tomatoes - like pizza sauce & ketchup). Anyways, back to yesterday... she has this splotchy, itchy rash on her face & neck within minutes of ingesting this "food", and I use that term VERY loosely. She wasn't having a major (anaphylactic) reaction, but certainly this is the strongest reaction she's had to date, but then again, she's only 4. :( This morning she woke up and her face is ever so slightly swollen... face & neck still red... but she wasn't having difficulty breathing and she said it was only itchy on the outside of her neck, not the inside, and no swelling or anything unusual going on inside her mouth. But still... pretty damn scary. Ended up driving into town and speaking to a pharmacist who recommended Benadryl or something similar, so that's what she's having (although I'd prefer to avoid the food colouring & sugar that's in it). All over 1/2 a pop. The kids' cousin has pretty severe food allergies - nuts, for one - and his parents carry an Epi-pen for him (thankfully have never had to use it).
Makes you think long and hard about what it is we call "food" and why we pollute our bodies with beverages like Fanta. Which one of the food groups does THAT fit into? Mind you, here's dd who's also allergic to oranges and tomatoes - organic, raw ones at that. What has happened to our food supply? And before you go commenting about how that Fanta even got into the house.... judge not, my friends. While I am committed to eating raw, organic, vegan foods in as natural a state as possible (and from local sources as much as possible), not everyone in the house shares my opinions on the subject. dh eats meat, dairy, all manner of cooked food, alcohol, what you'd call "junk food" (in moderation) - chips, dips, pop, all that kinda stuff. So here are two parents who are eating widely differing diets, trying to raise children together (and no, we didn't start out eating so differently; it's me that's changed tremendously in that regard over the past decade). Obviously it leads to a lot of discussion and compromise, on both our parts.
I remember before getting married the person marrying us asking us if we had discussed all eventualities... what an odd question - how could you possibly know where life was going to take you? We certainly didn't talk about the possibility that I'd become vegan, or raw, or talk about different parenting strategies or values... I mean you're getting married, the details of a wedding are all-consuming in that moment. Just funny.
Anyways that's about it. I'm going to go back to reading Raw Success by Matt Monarch - great read so far - lots of things to ponder/food for thought as I'm reading it. Will write more on that once I'm farther along or finished the book.
Happy Saturday,
~n~
02 January 2009
Celebrate good times... come on! Let's celebrate...
(Remember that song? Celebrate good times, come on! Let's celebrate...) I guess that's revealing my age, eh. LOL Well, 2009 is officially here! We rang in the new year surrounded by family although it wasn't the raucous celebration you'd expect - LOL - far more subdued than that. So nice to be together, especially when you bring people together from across the country and beyond.
Just as we're settling in to having dh home for the holidays, he is gearing up to leave once again. This year he starts his new job and we'll be adjusting to long-distance commuting. Moving to a new city and starting a new job will be pretty stressful, even if it is good stress in many ways. It's been so great to spend time as a family over the holidays, but the time has just flown by. The house is a disaster; dh unpacked and now is trying to pack but there is stuff EVERYWHERE, in amidst the holiday decorations. I laugh at myself because while he was away, I (of course) had things where I wanted them, and everything in my field-of-vision was ticky-boo. Now that he's home, and unpacked all over the place, I've really had to breathe DEEEEEEP not to get upset with his stuff everywhere, even though I've found it slightly irritating, not having things exactly in the spot where I want them. One of my friends says I'm OCD (which I assure you, I'm not... clinically speaking, that is, LOL); I'm just organized, or tidy. In some respects, anyways. All about keeping up appearances, I guess... which I'm working on getting over, believe me. (Have you ever watched that show - Keeping Up Appearances - ? Sometimes I get teased that I'm a little too much like Hyacinth for my own good. Having said that, dh is like Onslow, sitting around unshaven, in his underwear, drinking beer in front of the telly. LMAO) TMI, right?! ;)
I enjoyed a pink colour bath last night - pink is the colour which is associated with the heart chakra (so is green). Pink helps release unwanted aggression and negative thoughts/feelings. It is the colour of love, compassion and kindness. I added some essential oil of rose. The pink bath helps us to feel the support of the universe that is always available to us all and also compassion for both ourselves and others. A nice intention to end the day with.
Eating raw is going well, although I'm struggling with not over-eating (probably quite common after a juice feast) and emotional eating; this is something I've struggled with for years - what IS a normal amount of food to eat in a day, anyways? Many of us have such a warped sense of appetite with the availability of super-sized portions. Another thing is the thought others have shared: 'We only live once, so why not live a little? Why do you have to be so strict/extreme in your food choices? Just have a little...' That's something I come up against regularly enough, usually from people who may feel threatened by my choice to eat raw. However, not once have I declared that everyone around me must eat raw as well. Not once have I gotten up from a table where meat/dairy/cooked food was being served and rebuked it all. It's not like I've forgotten that less than a year ago, I was eating cooked food, or not 3 yrs ago I was eating a standard north-american diet as well (and was substantially heavier and less healthier than I currently am). But I guess some people are threatened by others making different choices. I realize the raw food lifestyle is a choice I'm making and I'm certainly not trying to make others feel uncomfortable by sticking with my choice in front of them. One of the biggest challenges I've found with raw food is planning ahead when going out - not necessarily to restaurants, as they are usually quite accomodating with a salad or fruit bowl, but more often in the homes of friends and family. I guess, despite having been raw for 9 months now, there are people who have not yet realized my dedication to this choice and who go out of their way to make something vegan (and cooked) and then feel slighted if I choose to make my own raw meal. That can be somewhat awkward. (I'd love to hear how other raw vegans handle situations like that - how do you stick to a raw vegan diet when your host declares they have gone out of their way to accomodate you with cooked vegan food?).
Anyways, it's officially a month since the juice feast ended and overall, the month has gone very well. I've been able to slowly wean off of the feast and have slowly introduced solid (raw vegan) food back in. A month later, I'm up 9 lbs from the lowest point on the feast, but have maintained a very healthy, balanced raw vegan diet overall. This time of year (with the cold weather) I'm enjoying more nuts and seeds and 'warming' foods than in other seasons, but I'm able to eat raw throughout the winter, which has been a goal.
Got a book called Raw Food Celebrations out from the library (can't recall the authors); it has a 'traditional celebration dinner' menu that would rival the best turkey dinner. We were chatting about it being a milestone birthday in 2010 for me and I was asked how I wanted to celebrate; I think it would be extra special to celebrate with a special raw vegan menu (LOL of course, we wouldn't want to impose the raw vegan lifestyle on anyone coming to celebrate, so I guess I'll have to make it potluck and people can bring what they want?! LOL). We had a DEEEElicious flourless chocolate cake the other night with raspberry coulis (from Jennifer Cornbleet's book). The other 3 in the house (one vegetarian, two omnivores) all agreed it was super-yummy. You know, I don't think I've tried one recipe from Jennifer Cornbleet's book that we didn't enjoy?! If I had to choose one raw food 'cook'book to have, I think that might be the one. Simple, quick recipes that enjoyed by nearly all (I say that because there have been one or two things that the omnivores have balked at).
New Year's Eve I had a delicious meal of zucchini spiralized 'pasta' with raw pesto, followed by "Violet's Violent End", a recipe from David Wolfe & Shazzie's book, Naked Chocolate. It looked scrumptious, and was easy to prepare ahead of time. I should've taken a photo. We enjoyed the blueberry/chocolate filling, but I wasn't overly crazy about the crust which had oat groats & apricots in it... next time I'd probably put it on that coconut crust recipe from Jennifer Cornbleet's book. Anyways, it was really good, and having raw food to eat made ringing in the new year special - I wasn't tempted by the cooked food, despite being surrounded by it. I had made yam chips/crackers in the dehydrator and had those with some pates - pecan pate, sundried tomato sunflower herb pate, and 'not tuna' pate (all from Jennifer Cornbleet's book) - and there was also some yummy raw salsa there, so there were lots of options. I got a few funny looks at breakfast as I had a salad with avocado and pecan pate on it, rather than the 'traditional' eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast, etc.
(That's a lot of talk about food when I haven't ingested anything yet today, so you know where I'm headed now...)
A toast to you in 2009 - may it bring you health, happiness, and conscious living.
Namaste
~n~
Just as we're settling in to having dh home for the holidays, he is gearing up to leave once again. This year he starts his new job and we'll be adjusting to long-distance commuting. Moving to a new city and starting a new job will be pretty stressful, even if it is good stress in many ways. It's been so great to spend time as a family over the holidays, but the time has just flown by. The house is a disaster; dh unpacked and now is trying to pack but there is stuff EVERYWHERE, in amidst the holiday decorations. I laugh at myself because while he was away, I (of course) had things where I wanted them, and everything in my field-of-vision was ticky-boo. Now that he's home, and unpacked all over the place, I've really had to breathe DEEEEEEP not to get upset with his stuff everywhere, even though I've found it slightly irritating, not having things exactly in the spot where I want them. One of my friends says I'm OCD (which I assure you, I'm not... clinically speaking, that is, LOL); I'm just organized, or tidy. In some respects, anyways. All about keeping up appearances, I guess... which I'm working on getting over, believe me. (Have you ever watched that show - Keeping Up Appearances - ? Sometimes I get teased that I'm a little too much like Hyacinth for my own good. Having said that, dh is like Onslow, sitting around unshaven, in his underwear, drinking beer in front of the telly. LMAO) TMI, right?! ;)
I enjoyed a pink colour bath last night - pink is the colour which is associated with the heart chakra (so is green). Pink helps release unwanted aggression and negative thoughts/feelings. It is the colour of love, compassion and kindness. I added some essential oil of rose. The pink bath helps us to feel the support of the universe that is always available to us all and also compassion for both ourselves and others. A nice intention to end the day with.
Eating raw is going well, although I'm struggling with not over-eating (probably quite common after a juice feast) and emotional eating; this is something I've struggled with for years - what IS a normal amount of food to eat in a day, anyways? Many of us have such a warped sense of appetite with the availability of super-sized portions. Another thing is the thought others have shared: 'We only live once, so why not live a little? Why do you have to be so strict/extreme in your food choices? Just have a little...' That's something I come up against regularly enough, usually from people who may feel threatened by my choice to eat raw. However, not once have I declared that everyone around me must eat raw as well. Not once have I gotten up from a table where meat/dairy/cooked food was being served and rebuked it all. It's not like I've forgotten that less than a year ago, I was eating cooked food, or not 3 yrs ago I was eating a standard north-american diet as well (and was substantially heavier and less healthier than I currently am). But I guess some people are threatened by others making different choices. I realize the raw food lifestyle is a choice I'm making and I'm certainly not trying to make others feel uncomfortable by sticking with my choice in front of them. One of the biggest challenges I've found with raw food is planning ahead when going out - not necessarily to restaurants, as they are usually quite accomodating with a salad or fruit bowl, but more often in the homes of friends and family. I guess, despite having been raw for 9 months now, there are people who have not yet realized my dedication to this choice and who go out of their way to make something vegan (and cooked) and then feel slighted if I choose to make my own raw meal. That can be somewhat awkward. (I'd love to hear how other raw vegans handle situations like that - how do you stick to a raw vegan diet when your host declares they have gone out of their way to accomodate you with cooked vegan food?).
Anyways, it's officially a month since the juice feast ended and overall, the month has gone very well. I've been able to slowly wean off of the feast and have slowly introduced solid (raw vegan) food back in. A month later, I'm up 9 lbs from the lowest point on the feast, but have maintained a very healthy, balanced raw vegan diet overall. This time of year (with the cold weather) I'm enjoying more nuts and seeds and 'warming' foods than in other seasons, but I'm able to eat raw throughout the winter, which has been a goal.
Got a book called Raw Food Celebrations out from the library (can't recall the authors); it has a 'traditional celebration dinner' menu that would rival the best turkey dinner. We were chatting about it being a milestone birthday in 2010 for me and I was asked how I wanted to celebrate; I think it would be extra special to celebrate with a special raw vegan menu (LOL of course, we wouldn't want to impose the raw vegan lifestyle on anyone coming to celebrate, so I guess I'll have to make it potluck and people can bring what they want?! LOL). We had a DEEEElicious flourless chocolate cake the other night with raspberry coulis (from Jennifer Cornbleet's book). The other 3 in the house (one vegetarian, two omnivores) all agreed it was super-yummy. You know, I don't think I've tried one recipe from Jennifer Cornbleet's book that we didn't enjoy?! If I had to choose one raw food 'cook'book to have, I think that might be the one. Simple, quick recipes that enjoyed by nearly all (I say that because there have been one or two things that the omnivores have balked at).
New Year's Eve I had a delicious meal of zucchini spiralized 'pasta' with raw pesto, followed by "Violet's Violent End", a recipe from David Wolfe & Shazzie's book, Naked Chocolate. It looked scrumptious, and was easy to prepare ahead of time. I should've taken a photo. We enjoyed the blueberry/chocolate filling, but I wasn't overly crazy about the crust which had oat groats & apricots in it... next time I'd probably put it on that coconut crust recipe from Jennifer Cornbleet's book. Anyways, it was really good, and having raw food to eat made ringing in the new year special - I wasn't tempted by the cooked food, despite being surrounded by it. I had made yam chips/crackers in the dehydrator and had those with some pates - pecan pate, sundried tomato sunflower herb pate, and 'not tuna' pate (all from Jennifer Cornbleet's book) - and there was also some yummy raw salsa there, so there were lots of options. I got a few funny looks at breakfast as I had a salad with avocado and pecan pate on it, rather than the 'traditional' eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast, etc.
(That's a lot of talk about food when I haven't ingested anything yet today, so you know where I'm headed now...)
A toast to you in 2009 - may it bring you health, happiness, and conscious living.
Namaste
~n~
30 December 2008
Happy New Year!
2008 is nearly done!! 34 more hours...
I can't believe a week has flown by. Christmas was great here. We went to the airport to catch our flight and was told there were no flights getting out that day. Luckily we had left ourselves enough time to drive, so we hopped the next ferry and were on our way. It was a fairly harrowing drive - several hundred kilometres in the blowing snow, ice, below 0 temperatures, with 15 cars in the ditch on the way up and 5 on the way down. That's a bit unnerving when someone passes you and then 5 kms down the road you see them in the ditch, or worse yet, completely upside down against a rock face (2 other cars had already stopped and were calling 911; I sure hope the driver of that truck was alright - his truck certainly wasn't). Nonetheless, slow and steady wins the race and after 9 hrs (what would've been about 6 hrs in summer) we arrived safely at our destination on Christmas Eve. We had a lovely Christmas, family all together, enjoying it all. Boxing Day we all went sledding, which was SOOOOOO much fun - I went over a jump several times and thought I'd be ever-so-sore the next day, but really, for my age (LOL) I was feeling pretty great the next day. Got to visit with my grandad on the way back, which was so special. I just love being around him. Always have. :) Slightly harrowing drive on the way down; we were detoured because a major accident on the main freeway, but still made it home before midnight.
Nice to be home, though. The house is a disaster - toys, (clean) laundry everywhere... more importantly is that we are all still revelling in having dh home for another week.
Oh, and I got a Joyce Chen Spiral Slicer for Christmas which works WONDERFULLY. love love LOVE the zucchini pasta it makes. Also got a mortar & pestle, which I haven't used yet, but hopefully that will be handy as I make raw food.
That's the update for today. Will try and post again soon. And hoping you have a very happy new year. Stay up 'til midnight; celebrate the passing of one year and the birth of the new year, and the possibilities it holds.
Namaste
~n~
I can't believe a week has flown by. Christmas was great here. We went to the airport to catch our flight and was told there were no flights getting out that day. Luckily we had left ourselves enough time to drive, so we hopped the next ferry and were on our way. It was a fairly harrowing drive - several hundred kilometres in the blowing snow, ice, below 0 temperatures, with 15 cars in the ditch on the way up and 5 on the way down. That's a bit unnerving when someone passes you and then 5 kms down the road you see them in the ditch, or worse yet, completely upside down against a rock face (2 other cars had already stopped and were calling 911; I sure hope the driver of that truck was alright - his truck certainly wasn't). Nonetheless, slow and steady wins the race and after 9 hrs (what would've been about 6 hrs in summer) we arrived safely at our destination on Christmas Eve. We had a lovely Christmas, family all together, enjoying it all. Boxing Day we all went sledding, which was SOOOOOO much fun - I went over a jump several times and thought I'd be ever-so-sore the next day, but really, for my age (LOL) I was feeling pretty great the next day. Got to visit with my grandad on the way back, which was so special. I just love being around him. Always have. :) Slightly harrowing drive on the way down; we were detoured because a major accident on the main freeway, but still made it home before midnight.
Nice to be home, though. The house is a disaster - toys, (clean) laundry everywhere... more importantly is that we are all still revelling in having dh home for another week.
Oh, and I got a Joyce Chen Spiral Slicer for Christmas which works WONDERFULLY. love love LOVE the zucchini pasta it makes. Also got a mortar & pestle, which I haven't used yet, but hopefully that will be handy as I make raw food.
That's the update for today. Will try and post again soon. And hoping you have a very happy new year. Stay up 'til midnight; celebrate the passing of one year and the birth of the new year, and the possibilities it holds.
Namaste
~n~
23 December 2008
'Tis the Season...
I've had a lovely, if somewhat rushed, day. Our family played a boardgame after breakfast (how blessed I felt to awaken to the sounds of dh starting the woodstove and making a lovely breakfast, to the aromas of foods he and the children love - SO nice to have him home!), and then spent several hours all working together, getting things done (housework, chores, wrapping & packing) so we can head off for the holidays in the morning. Tonight I am going to go wrap presents and then make Christmas Kuchens to take with us for the holidays... it's a sweet-bread with almond paste filling and cherries and cardamom... mmmmm if only it were raw. LOL ;) I wasn't sure earlier if I was going to have time to make it (and since it takes 2-3 hrs, I'd better get started), but I felt so strongly that kuchen is a Christmas tradition in our house, and while traditions certainly don't have to be adhered to, I really want to make kuchen tonight. :) (Food for thought there that traditions don't have to be adhered to. Be flexible and compassionate with yourself - and be reasonable; if there isn't time, there isn't time - don't feel guilty if you don't do things in exactly the same way each year or each holiday or season. (LMAO anyone who knows me knows that being reasonable is wide-open to interpretation with me, the Aquarian - LOL (is it reasonable to stay up most of the night wrapping presents, or to make kuchens at 3 a.m. when we have a 9 a.m. flight to catch?!?! Well, okay, that may not seem reasonable, although other members of our family have been known to be that kind of reasonable... no names, no names.)
dh & I had a wonderful day alone yesterday. His parents graciously offered to spend the day with our children so we could have time alone - the first day we've spent alone together in nearly 6 MONTHS!! (That's quite the oxymoron: alone together. I mean, either you're together, or you're alone, but how do you be alone together?!) We went off-Island, spending hours just being TOGETHER. How nice. Time to chat, to actually look at each other, hold hands, hear our ideas and thoughts and dreams. It was more than wonderful. It was the bestest of the best. And how lovely that all of us - the two of us, his parents and our children, all benefitted from the day - his parents had a fantastic day with our children - they went sledding in the snow and generally had a terrific day by the sounds of it, and dh & I were able to spend long-overdue time alone enjoying each other's company. Loving it!
Today would have been my maternal grandmother's 94th birthday (1913 or 1914 - I can't quite remember). She passed away 7 years ago next February. She was a wonderful person, a caring wife, mother, grandmother, and an accomplished and renowned artist (among so many other things); we have several of her pieces in our home. I have a beautiful black-and-white photo of her from our wedding day; when I'm at home I'll have to post it on here. Today I remember her and feel honoured to have been able to share in her life.
Eight years ago today is also the day that my son got his first tooth. When I look at pictures of him, at 9 months, wow, does that ever take me back... how I loved it all... the new-ness of motherhood, the softness of his skin, the smell of him, the gurgling and cooing and snuggliness of his little baby self. And that tooth! That first tooth! And then fast forward 8 years and here I have a boy who is growing so very quickly! Who has lost that first tooth already (lost it more than 3 yrs ago)!! Amazing growth (in both he & I) these past 8 years. Again, I am feeling very honoured in this moment to have him in my life.
~namaste~
dh & I had a wonderful day alone yesterday. His parents graciously offered to spend the day with our children so we could have time alone - the first day we've spent alone together in nearly 6 MONTHS!! (That's quite the oxymoron: alone together. I mean, either you're together, or you're alone, but how do you be alone together?!) We went off-Island, spending hours just being TOGETHER. How nice. Time to chat, to actually look at each other, hold hands, hear our ideas and thoughts and dreams. It was more than wonderful. It was the bestest of the best. And how lovely that all of us - the two of us, his parents and our children, all benefitted from the day - his parents had a fantastic day with our children - they went sledding in the snow and generally had a terrific day by the sounds of it, and dh & I were able to spend long-overdue time alone enjoying each other's company. Loving it!
Today would have been my maternal grandmother's 94th birthday (1913 or 1914 - I can't quite remember). She passed away 7 years ago next February. She was a wonderful person, a caring wife, mother, grandmother, and an accomplished and renowned artist (among so many other things); we have several of her pieces in our home. I have a beautiful black-and-white photo of her from our wedding day; when I'm at home I'll have to post it on here. Today I remember her and feel honoured to have been able to share in her life.
Eight years ago today is also the day that my son got his first tooth. When I look at pictures of him, at 9 months, wow, does that ever take me back... how I loved it all... the new-ness of motherhood, the softness of his skin, the smell of him, the gurgling and cooing and snuggliness of his little baby self. And that tooth! That first tooth! And then fast forward 8 years and here I have a boy who is growing so very quickly! Who has lost that first tooth already (lost it more than 3 yrs ago)!! Amazing growth (in both he & I) these past 8 years. Again, I am feeling very honoured in this moment to have him in my life.
~namaste~
22 December 2008
Happy Solstice!!
Happy (belated) Solstice!! (Technically it's still solstice since I haven't gone to bed yet, right?! LOL)I am *SO* blessed this Solstice...
- to be sharing it with dh who DID arrive back on Paradise before midnight last night...
- to be blessed with caring relatives who lent me their 4x4 to go pick dh up from the airport, and who cared for our children while i was out driving in blizzard-like conditions...
- to be blessed with these same relatives, who shared their home with us and allowed us to sleep over when we returned late and tired, who always welcome us into their home with open arms...
- for the beautiful, beautiful snowfall that graced the world around us overnight (our relatives live on top of a hill - as in, they have a 400m near-vertical driveway!)...
- SO grateful for the chains I bought for the car not 2 wks ago, and for learning how to put them on (yes, this morning, in 8 inches of snow), and for the car's EXCELLENT handling ability in this weather - YEAH for AWD and all-season tires & chains. YEAH for Subaru! :)
- Also so VERY grateful for the community coming together for the postponed neighbourhood christmas party today, for the father who dropped by and then went home and passed the message on to his wife and kids, who really enjoyed coming, for the assistance of the others who really went all out to get crafts and activities organized, who enjoyed the food, for Santa who came and entertained, despite a smaller-than-normal turnout, for the heat and electricity running in the hall, for the volunteer fire chief who went up early and turned the heat on so it would be warm when we got there...
- Filled with gratitude for the road crews who have been out there sanding and plowing, even our rural side road today, as the snow continues to fall.
- Thankful for our very functional woodstove and dry, split firewood.
- Thankful that my son enjoyed a long visit with his bf, who lives next door. They played so well together today and we all enjoyed dinner together; dd got us playing the alphabet game.
- So thankful that dh made dinner tonight. (I was up several hrs last night with insomnia and was exhausted by this evening). Also b/c I just didn't want to be making cooked food when I'm committed to eating raw, and I feel like I've really been struggling with eating raw in this cold weather... there is such a strong addictive pull towards cooked foods and winter - such a strong association, of comfort foods and hunkering down. For my continued good health, I simply MUST choose to make new associations, new traditions. (Especially with Christmas coming up in a mere days; yes, I'm feeling a tad anxious what it's going to look like - a raw vegan christmas dinner, amidst a feast of meat and dairy, of cooked foods, of family, of personal struggles with willpower and mindless eating, and yes, of judgments, from myself and from others).
- To enjoy the love, companionship and friendship with a wonderful husband.
- So blessed this solstice for my good health and flexibility, that I enjoyed rowing today and love that rowing is such a special personal solstice celebration. :)
Blessings & gratitude to you, this winter Solstice.
In light,
~n~
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